NBA Game Summary - Chicago at Boston

Boston, MA (Basketball News) - Eddy Curry had 16 points and six rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls past the Boston Celtics, 94-86, at the FleetCenter.

Tyson Chandler added 13 points and 10 boards for the Bulls, who have won four straight on the heels of a four-game losing streak. With the victory Chicago moved one-half game up on idle Cleveland for fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

"We came out in the first half and things weren’t really going our way," said Bulls coach Scott Skiles. "We came out a little but soft. I felt like they were too, but the (Celtics) were just a little bit sharper than us and took the lead. But then we got some life. We went down the bench, changed the line- up a little bit and got some life."

"I think (the Celtics) went 2-for-50 in the second half, if my arithmetic is correct, so it was a great defensive second half for us and a huge win."

Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce each had 18 points for Boston, which has dropped two straight after winning a season-high seven in a row.

Trailing for most of the game, Chicago snatched the lead in the fourth quarter thanks to an 11-2 run which put it ahead 77-74. Boston quickly recovered, though, and the teams traded the lead back-and-forth over the next few minutes.

Then with the score knotted at 84, Ben Gordon’s three-pointer keyed a 7-2 surge and the Bulls never looked back. Chicago hit its free throws down the stretch and secured the eight-point win.

Chicago, which finished up a two-game road trip this evening, improved to 16-18 in foreign buildings this season and has won six of 10 and eight of its last 13 games away from home.

Tied at 18, the Celtics used a 9-4 run to open a 27-22 advantage on a pair of Pierce free throws. The Bulls, though, closed the opening period by scoring four of the final six points but still trailed 29-26 heading into the second.

Boston was hot at the start of the second and opened the stanza with a 7-2 run to take an eight-point lead. Chicago managed to grab the advantage later in the period on a Jannero Pargo layup, but the Celtics closed the half with another 7-1 spurt to carry a 52-47 edge into the locker room.

Gary Payton and Walker each had 11 points to lead the Celtics through the first 24 minutes, while Antonio Davis and Curry each had eight to pace the Bulls.

Boston continued to control the action in the third and went up by as many as nine before Chicago closed the gap to six, 72-66, heading into the final quarter.